What to Do When Glass Breaks: A Step-by-Step Guide for Colorado Springs Homes and Businesses
A window shatters, a storm sends a branch through your patio door, or you walk into your storefront and find the glass broken overnight. The first actions you take matter, and most people have never had to think through what to do before a repair crew shows up. Here’s the order of operations that keeps everyone safe and makes the repair, and any insurance claim, go smoothly.
What to Do in the First Few Minutes
Keep people and pets out of the area first. Broken glass scatters farther than it looks, and tempered glass in particular breaks into hundreds of small, sharp pieces that spread across a room by design, since that fracture pattern is what makes it safer than ordinary glass in the first place. Close off the space if you can, and do not let anyone walk through it in socks or bare feet.
If the break happened during a storm or a break-in and weather or security is a factor, cover the opening loosely with cardboard or plastic sheeting from the inside if it’s safe to reach. This is a stopgap, not a fix, and it should only be attempted if you’re not at risk of getting cut or exposed to the outdoors doing it.
Documenting the Damage for Insurance
Take photos before anything gets cleaned up. Get a few angles of the broken glass, the surrounding frame, and any related damage like a bent screen or a forced entry point. Note the date and, if you know it, roughly when the break happened. If a storm caused it, a quick note about the weather that day helps too.
Most homeowners’ and commercial policies cover glass breakage from storms, break-ins, and accidents. According to the Insurance Information Institute, photos and a detailed timeline of the damage are among the most useful things a policyholder can provide, and having them ready before repair starts is the single biggest thing that speeds up a claim. Keep your City Glass invoice afterward as well, since most insurers want it attached to the claim.
Temporary Securing vs. Waiting for a Professional
Whether you should attempt any temporary fix yourself depends on where the break is and how exposed it leaves your home or business. A small crack in an upper window that isn’t a security or weather risk can usually just wait for a scheduled repair. A shattered ground-floor window, a broken patio door, or anything at an entry point is a different situation, and that’s where board-up service should be considered.
City Glass offers 24/7 board-up service specifically for this gap between when glass breaks and when the right replacement glass is cut and ready. It’s a secure, professional interim solution rather than a piece of plastic sheeting held on with tape, and it means you’re not lying awake worrying about the opening overnight.
When It’s a True Emergency vs. a Next-Day Repair
Not every broken window needs a same-hour response. A cracked but still-intact and sealed pane, where the glass hasn’t come apart, is usually fine to schedule for the next business day. What pushes something into true emergency territory is exposure: broken glass at an entry point, a storefront break, storm damage that’s letting weather in, or anything that leaves a home or business unsecured.
When you reach out, we’ll ask a few quick questions to get a better sense of the situation. This helps us gauge the urgency of the repair so we can prioritize true emergencies while giving you an idea of when we can be there to help.
What Happens When You Call City Glass
We ask what broke, where, and how it happened, which helps us figure out both urgency and what glass we’ll likely need. For true emergencies, we dispatch as fast as we can, day or night. If you need a board-up while we’re getting your glass ready, we’ll get that scheduled as soon as possible so your property stays secure. Once the right glass is ready, typically the same day for standard sizes, we install and clean up fully before we leave.
City Glass has handled emergency glass repair across the Pikes Peak Region for over 75 years, through hailstorms, break-ins, and every kind of accident a home or business can produce. We know what Colorado Springs weather does to glass and how fast a broken window needs to be handled once winter sets in.
Frequently Asked Questions
If glass breaks at your home or business, call City Glass at 719-634-2891 any time, or request an estimate online for non-emergency repairs.
